5 holiday spices that can help fight Cancer

Holiday spices like Cinnamon, Cloves, Allspice, Nutmeg, and Ginger will begin filling kitchens this month as we gather together cooking and celebrating with family and friends around the Thanksgiving table. A little spice once a year won’t bring big health benefits, but integrating them into recipes might. They are actively researched in clinical trials related to cancer prevention and treatment.

While their impact isn’t as great as research surrounding fruit, vegetable, and nuts, Americans seem to reach for herbs and spices rather than the salt shaker and consumption has doubled since the 1970’s. Adding 1 gram of herbs a day to our diet could significantly contribute to our antioxidant intake and improve our health. Here are five to get the holidays started and ring in good health.

Allspice

Ground allspice is not a mixture of spices, but instead comes from the dried unripened berry from the Pilmenta diocia tree native to Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America. Several studies have noted the effects it has as anantio, antioxidant-inflammatory, and antimicrobial agent. The berries contain several bioactive compounds responsible for benefits to cell health and anticancer properties.

Ground allspice is not a mixture of spices, but instead comes from the dried unripened berry from the Pilmenta diocia tree native to Greater Antilles, southern Mexico, and Central America. Several studies have noted the effects it has as anantio, antioxidant-inflammatory, and antimicrobial agent. The berries contain several bioactive compounds responsible for benefits to cell health and anticancer properties.

Cinnamon

While there are plenty of rumors it is effective in helping with blood glucose control in diabetes, this effect has not been confirmed conclusively in clinical trials. According to the National Institute of Health, science and consistent clinical studies showing this effect are lacking. However, several studies have examined cinnamon’s antioxidant properties and it is widely used in Chinese medicine. Studies looking at its impact on cells spanning the past decade have noted it can impact cell growth and several mechanisms involved in cancer initiation. The spice comes from the bark of an evergreen tree from the Lauraceae family found primarily in China, India and Southeast Asia.

Cloves

This spice comes from the flower bud of the Eugenia caryophyllata tree native to Indonesia. Compounds within the spice that can affect our cells which I had not heard of include tannins, terpenoids, eugenol, and acetyleugenol. While clinical trials are lacking, animal studies have shown cloves can impact cellular detoxification processes. In addition, studies using cultured human liver and colon cells have suggested the spice impacts cancer induction.

Ginger

Gingerbread and gingerbread cookies are two of my favorite treats. So, I was excited to learn ginger, a member of the Zingiberaceae family also including cardamom and turmeric, has been investigated for its antioxidant properties and has been show to improve liver antioxidant enzymes in animal studies and it inhibited cell growth in four different cancer cell lines (lung cancer, skin cancer, ovarian cancer, and colon cancer).

Cocoa

Organic-Cocoa-Powder-Fair-Trade-250g-d5

This has to be the icing on the cake when it comes to health benefits. Cocoa powder has large amounts of antioxidants packed into a tablespoon of powder. For 12 calories, the tablespoon provides large amounts of the flavonoids epicatechin (196mg) and catechin along with 3-9% of your recommended intake of iron, manganese, magnesium, and zinc. As if you needed another reason to love chocolate this time of year. Just remember, the powder actually packs more punch than milk chocolate when it comes to health go ahead and whip up a batch of cocoa ginger pumpkin pancakes this week.

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Organic-Cocoa-Powder-Fair-Trade-250g-d5

This has to be the icing on the cake when it comes to health benefits. Cocoa powder has large amounts of antioxidants packed into a tablespoon of powder. For 12 calories, the tablespoon provides large amounts of the flavonoids epicatechin (196mg) and catechin along with 3-9% of your recommended intake of iron, manganese, magnesium, and zinc. As if you needed another reason to love chocolate this time of year. Just remember, the powder actually packs more punch than milk chocolate when it comes to health go ahead and whip up a batch of cocoa ginger pumpkin pancakes this week.